Donald Trump says 'missiles headed to Iraq'

A TV interviewer had to step in and correct US President Donald Trump after he erroneously claimed to have launched "59 missiles headed to Iraq".

Mr Trump was talking to Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo when she asked him about last week's controversial strike against the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime.

The real estate mogul was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping at his club in Florida at the time.

"I was sitting at the table. We had finished dinner. We are now having dessert. And we had the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you've ever seen, and President Xi was enjoying it," Mr Trump explained.

"I was given the message from the generals that the ships are locked and loadedâ€¦ and we made a determination to do it, so the missiles were on the way.

"I said, 'Mr President, let me explain something to you.' This was during dessert. 'We have just fired 59 missiles,' all of which hit by the way. Unbelievable from hundreds of miles away. What we have in terms of technology, nobody can even come close to competing… So what happens is, I say 'we have just launched 59 missiles headed to Iraq.'"

Ms Bartiromo butts in.

"Heading to Syria?" she corrects him.

Mr Trump pauses briefly, before confirming that yes, it was Syria he ordered bombed, and then recounts Mr Xi's response.

Apparently he paused for 10 seconds, asked the translator to repeat what Mr Trump had just told him, then said it was okay, considering the regime's alleged "brutal" attack on children.